Annual Report 2012–2013 A 70 year-old woman laughs with a family member inside a grocery store in Tachilek, Myanmar. UN Photo by Kibae Park. The two-day meeting provided an opportunity to consider and compare founding legislation from NHRIs in the southeast Asian region, the broader Asia Pacific region and other parts of the world, with a focus on highlighting good practice in relation to the structure and functions of a NHRI. The discussions also addressed the international standards relating to the establishment and functioning of NHRIs, the Paris Principles, and the general observations of the ICC. Following the meeting the APF continued to assist the Commission with legislative advice via email and a first draft of the legislation was produced. This draft was then sent to the Office of the President of Myanmar and circulated to Ministers and their departments for comment. The APF then returned to Yangon, Myanmar from 31 January – 4 February 2013 to participate in a meeting chaired by the Commission which included representatives from the Office of the President and government departments to work through a second draft of the legislation. Following the meeting, the APF continued to assist the Commission with legislative advice via email and a final draft of the legislation was produced. The Commission subsequently sent the draft to the Office of the President for public dissemination and eventual submission to Parliament. It is anticipated that the draft will be considered by Parliament during 2013. Samoa From 20–22 August 2012, the APF worked with Samoa’s Attorney-General, the Ombudsman and the Attorney-General’s Department to begin the process of drafting a new law to establish a NHRI within the Office of the Ombudsman. The APF provided information on the key elements of the Paris Principles and on the legislative frameworks adopted by countries in the region. On the basis of these discussions the APF prepared drafting instructions from which the Office of the Attorney-General prepared a draft law. The APF provided advice during and following the drafting process. The draft law extended the powers of the Office of the Ombudsman to include a range of human rights functions. The draft law was then submitted to, and approved by, the Samoan Cabinet. The APF returned to Samoa from 4–7 March 2013 to meet with the Attorney-General and the Ombudsman to discuss additional APF assistance to the Office of the Ombudsman and the timetable of Parliament’s consideration of the Bill. The Bill was subsequently submitted to Parliament in late March 2013 and it was passed without amendment with full cross-party support on 30 May 2013. The Samoan NHRI will commence operations by mid-2013. 3. Promote compliance with the Paris Principles | 37